With the Haryana Assembly polls round the corner, former Minister Anil Vij announced that he will stake claim for the chief minister’s post if the party returns to power, announcing himself “best CM candidate in the BJP” has exposed severe internal dissidence that the BJP is facing in the state.
The party that wants to form government for the third consecutive term failed to put its house in order. These comments have raised eyebrows considering the “disciplined culture within the BJP” and come at a time when the party has already made it clear that Nayab Singh Saini will continue as the chief minister if they win the upcoming Assembly polls.
Already several key leaders, including a couple of ministers left the party protesting against selection of candidates. However, putting a brave face, Union Minister and BJP Haryana Assembly election in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan reaffirmed the BJP’s stance, stating that the sitting Chief Minister, Nayab Singh Saini, would remain the party’s face for the top ministerial post
Vij, 71, has won six times and is again the party’s candidate, said that “People come to me from across the state. Wherever I have been, people ask me as to why I never became the CM despite being the senior-most leader. Based on the demands raised by people of Haryana and considering my seniority in the party, I shall stake a claim for the CM’s post”.
“Whether the party makes me the CM or not, it is their prerogative. To date, I have never sought any post from the party, but today, I am staking claim for the post of the CM. If the party makes me the CM, I shall definitely change the face and fate of Haryana,” Vij added.
The BJP had replaced Manohar Lal Khattar with Nayab Singh Saini, an OBC face, in March this year to beat the anti-incumbency row ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Despite the change, the ruling party lost five out of 10 seats that it had won in 2019.
Anil Vij became visibly upset when Nayab Singh Saini’s name was finalised by the party high command to replace Khattar. He had walked out of the meeting of the MLAs that was being chaired by two party observers who had come from Delhi to announce the high command’s decision.
Sources disclosed that in that meeting, Vij had openly criticised the decision and walked out in a huff. Although Vij was among the ministers to be sworn-in in the Nayab Singh Saini cabinet, he refused to join and even skipped the oath-taking ceremony. Efforts were made by Saini and Khattar and other senior leaders to pacify Vij, but to no avail.
